Photograph
by A Vampire Angel
Summary: Setsuna has always cared about three things her entire life - her camera, her friends, and her sword. Life may not be glorious or, heck, much, but that's all she's really ever needed . . . Plus it's all she's got. One day, though, she meets one special girl that changes all of that.
1. Chapter 1

Setsuna walked aimlessly through the school grounds of Mahora as she allowed her mind focus on only one thing – her camera.

Someone had decided to touch the lenses of her old Yashica Electro 35 gsn, leaving their fingerprints pressed all over them. Growling in frustration, she continued to gently polish the lenses with the sleeve of her sweater, but it only seemed smear the fingerprints more.

Why couldn't someone understand a simple command, such as, "Don't touch!" ?

Sometimes, people could be such idiots.

Sighing, Setsuna gave up and pushed a few locks of raven-black hair behind her ear. She would have to dampen a rag later on to clean it properly.

Letting her camera slip from her grip, it bounced against her chest as the strap stopped it from falling too far. Resting her hands behind her head casually, she leaned back slightly as she stared at the sunny, blue sky. Odd, she could of sworn the radio-man predicted rain today.

Oh well, she'll worry about that when it came. At least it was nice out.

" -suna!" Someone called out from the distance, not really catching her attention. "Set- Setsuna!"

Their voice grew closer, and she stopped, suddenly recognizing the voice. How could she have misplaced it?

Turning to greet to girl, she was suddenly pulled into a choke-hold. Gasping in surprise, Setsuna heard her laugh happily.

"Too slow!" Asuna stated, tightening the hold she had on Setsuna's neck. But, it wasn't to the point to where she couldn't breath, making it playful and semi-friendly. She wrapped her free arm around Setsuna's waist so she could keep her in place. "Guess who!"

"Asuna, let go of me!" She laughed, trying to pull the girl's arm from around her neck. "Your boobs are pressed against my back, making me feel really awkward standing here."

Shrugging, Asuna did so and stepped away as Setsuna brushed herself off. "I can't help it." She grinned. "You're just too damn sexy."

Shaking her head, Setsuna punched Asuna's arm lightly. "Shut up. You've already got a girlfriend, so don't come running to me."

The red-head countered by smacking Setsuna over the head with her water bottle. "Ayaka knows I love her!"

"Ow . . ." She grumbled, rubbing the back of her head. "Yeah. From the way you two fight, it's like you're already married . . ."

Asuna swung her water at Setsuna again but missed, due to the fact that she ducked. "Well at least I'm in a relationship!" Asuna grinned.

Rolling her eyes, Setsuna seizing Asuna's water bottle from her before the girl could do anymore damage to her head. "Can I borrow your towel for a second?"

Shrugging yet again, Asuna tossed her the towel that was draped around her neck. "Sure."

Unscrewing the bottle of water, Setsuna poured a little of the liquid onto the towel. "This isn't vodka, right?" She joked, receiving a playful punch in the arm for the comment.

Screwing the lid back onto the bottle, she began gently wiping the lenses of her camera off with the damp part of the towel before drying it off with a different part of the towel.

"Thanks." She smiled, tossing both objects back to Asuna before continuing. "Now, it's your turn pose and look sexy for me. Say 'cheese' so I can take a picture."

Turning the aperture ring to exposure symbol of the sun, she raised her camera, finally getting a good look at her friend.

Asuna was dressed in her track uniform, for school was now over and practice was usually right afterwords. A pair of black and white running shorts fit around her waist perfectly, and a white T-shirt was pulled against the girl tightly, showing off her figure. Across the chest area of the shirt, in bold, black read : Mahora Track Team

And upon the right sleeve of the shirt read : #8 Captain Asuna Kagurazaka

Smiling broadly, Asuna gave a peace sign while winking at the camera. Focusing the camera, Setsuna snapped the picture quickly before laughing to herself softly. "One for the scrapbook."

Asuna replied by sticking her tongue out at Setsuna playfully. Snapping another picture, she grinned at the pigtailed girl. "And one for Ayaka."

Letting her camera drop back to her chest again, she watched as Asuna dropped her gaze to the ground as a light blush spread over her face.

Shaking her head, Setsuna turned around, colliding into some girl in a cheerleader outfit. Squeaking in surprise, the girl fell backwards, grabbing a hold of Setsuna's vest as she tried to stop herself from falling.

She ended up pulling Setsuna after her.

Gasping from the sudden pull, Setsuna lost her footing, landing on top of the girl that had pulled her down. Her head hit the other girl's painfully, and she could feel her body crushing the girl's against the pavement. Her eyes widened in surprise as a wild blush spread over her face. _**'God, please don't let my hand be where I think it is . . .'**_

__Groaning in pain, the girl shifted slightly, causing her leg slip between Setsuna's accidentally. This only confirmed her fear.

Laughter broke through the air, causing the girl to open her eyes in shock and Setsuna to look up. "W- wow Setsuna!" Asuna gasped, laughing even harder. "You sure do work fast! You don't even know the girl, and you've already got her on the ground!"

Feeling her face grow even warmer, she turned her gaze to the girl under her.

She was blushing miserably, probably even more so than Setsuna. Her dark brown hair was tied in a ponytail, and her chocolate brown eyes were averted towards the ground nervously.

"Um . . . I'm going to put this as lightly as I can . . ." The girl's blush darkened, if possible. "Is your hand . . . up my skirt?"

Closing her eyes, Setsuna hung her head, "Y- yeah."

The girl shifted uncomfortably. "Well, could you get off? You're kinda crushing my body against the road."

"Oh!" Setsuna gasped. "Sorry 'bout-"

She didn't finish, for someone grabbed the collar of her sweater, yanking her up into the air, cutting her off.

"Yo, What are you doin' to Onee-san?!" A male voice growled in her ear, making her freeze in both shock and fear. "I swear, if you hurt her . . ."

"I- I didn't do anything!" Setsuna denied, shaking her head. Growling much like a dog, She could hear the anger and distress in his voice. "Yeah right. I'll believe that when Onee-san says that herself. Now, how 'bout I kick your – "

"Kotaro, chill! I bumped into her, that's all." The girl said quickly, climbing to her feet. "She didn't do anything to me."

Hesitantly, the boy who she assumed was Kotaro set her down onto her feet. "Okay, but if she tries anything, she's dead."

Rubbing the back of her head sheepishly, the girl turned back to Setsuna. "Sorry about running into you _**and **_Kotaro. He can be pretty overprotective of his teammates."

Kotaro snorted. "You can bet your ass I am."

Throwing him a look, the girl looked back at Setsuna. "My name's Konoka, and this is Kotaro. Again, sorry about earlier. I can be such a klutz sometimes."

Smiling shyly, Setsuna shook her head. "No, it's okay. My name's Setsuna. It's nice to meet you, Konoka."

Turning towards Kotaro, She continued. "And you too, Kot- . . . whoa."

Her jaw slackened as she stared **up **at the boy. He could have easily been two feet taller than her.

The second thing she noticed about the boy was, he was shirtless. Both his muscles and his chest looked pretty built, making him look like one of those professional boxers you see on TV.

The only article of clothing, she noticed, was a pair of black, spandex pants that framed around his waist and legs. No, scratch that.

He was also wearing a pair of wolf ears (well, she assumed they were wolf ears) and a bushy wolf tail.

Regaining her composure slightly, she cleared her throat. "What's with the-"

Konoka cut her off with a laugh. "Wolf ears? Tail? He's both the team's mascot **and **team member. He does a pretty good back flip, if you ask me. Don't worry, we get asked about that a lot."

Kotaro gave her a broad grin, and Setsuna could swear she saw the tail wagging.

"Well, that explains why there's so many girls at the football games." She joked. "They just must really love the . . . wolf-like character trait and . . ."

She made a circular motion in front of Kotaro's chest awkwardly. "All of this."

Both Kotaro and Konoka laughed at Setsuna's comment. Well, Konoka giggled, and Kotaro's the one who laughed.

Suddenly, a hand was repeatedly waving in front of her face. "Hello? Earth to Setsuna? Are you home?" Asuna asked. "Practice starts in ten minutes. I really need to get going."

Giving her a confused look, Setsuna replied. "Well, then go. I'm not part of the team. I've got my own issues to worry about."

Shrugging the pigtailed girl turned away from Setsuna quickly. "Suit yourself. See you after practice . . . or not. See you later, Nerd!"

With that, she was off.

"Band-geek!" Setsuna called after her, shaking her head. "Band-geek?" Kotaro said, his voice sound more like a question than a statement. "Why would you call her that?"

Smiling, Setsuna shrugged. "She may be violent, rude, and just plain stubborn . . . but . . . she plays the flute pretty damn good."

Both Konoka's and Kotaro's jaws dropped. "What?!"

"Hard to believe, isn't it?" She laughed. "Usually people think flute players as shy, timid, and gentle. Rather ironic, huh?"

"Ironic?" Kotaro exclaimed. "That's just plain wrong."

Shrugging, Setsuna brushed a few specks of dirt off the top of her camera gently. "Well it's been a pleasure meeting both of you, but I really do have to go. I've got a meeting."

Konoka smile knowingly at her, her eyes sparkling with an some kind of emotion. "It's been a pleasure meeting you too, Setsuna. Stop by the football field sometime."

"Yeah!" Kotaro grinned, cutting in. "We could use the company. Our team mates may not be the most sane group of the bunch, but they're family. If you ever do stop by, you won't ever regret it."

"Sure thing." Setsuna shrugged again. "I'll probably stop by your team sometime in the future. Me or one of my crew members usually do eventually. You're on the cheer-leading team, right?"

Konoka rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly. "Is it that obvious?"

Kotaro clapped Konoka on the back heavily, making her stumble forward unsteadily. "Onee-san, your uniform's a dead give away."

Setsuna smiled. "Yeah . . . Well, again, it's a pleasure to meet you."

With a final wave to the two students, the photographer turned and walked off towards the school. "Wait, Setsuna!" Konoka called out, making the photographer pause. Turning towards Konoka, Setsuna saw the girl waving a cap in the air as she ran towards her.

"You kinda dropped this earlier." She explained when she got to the photographer. "Well . . . I may have knocked it off your head."

Grinning, Setsuna took the hat from her before pulling it onto her head. "Thanks"

**/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/` A Little Later**

"We need ideas, people!" Kazumi shouted, slamming her hand down on the table. "I've asked around, and there's not a snip of great gossip out there!"

Setsuna, as did a couple of other kids, flinched at the volume and tone of the girl's voice. Kazumi, however, didn't take any notice to this. "Aisaka!" the girl snapped, receiving a high pitched squeak of surprise. "Stand up. What have you got for me?"

Slowly, a girl with waist-length silver hair stood to her feet, wringing her skirt of her sailor-fuku nervously. Her red eyes sparked with even more nervousness as they turned to the floor of the room quickly. She remained quiet for a minute before softly whispering, "I'm sorry . . . I haven't you any material."

"Damn it, Sayo. Sit down then." Kazumi growled, receiving another squeak from the nervous girl as she sat down. "Sakurazaki! Stand."

Feeling her heart skip a beat from the sudden call of her name, Setsuna stood to her feet. She raised her chin slightly and looked Kazumi in the eye . . . only to immediately turn her gaze onto the ground as a sudden fear gripped her heart. There was just something about Kazumi's aura that said. _**'Fuck with me, and I fuck you up.'**_

__"Y- yes Ma'am, Asakura?" she stammered, feeling her face grow slightly red as one of the other girls laughed softly. Kazumi sat down silently, leaning her head onto the palm of her hand as she tapped her index finger on the table impatiently. "You got any photo's taken yet?"

Swallowing nervously, Setsuna nodded sheepishly. "It's only a few pictures, but I've got some of the track team from the last competition."

Setsuna heard Kazumi soften slightly. "I suppose that will do. Sit down, now."

Nodding, Setsuna sat down quietly.

"Izumi." Kazumi immediately moved on. "Ako, what have you got me?"

**/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/` A Little Later**

Setsuna slowly pulled her school satchel onto her shoulder before stretching her arms over her head with a yawn. "Sakurazaki, stay here a moment, please." Kazumi said, her tone of voice making it sound more like an order than a statement.

Setsuna froze, swallowing nervously. "Y- yes Ma'am, Asakura."

When Kazumi asked a member to stay behind, it was almost never good.

She pulled her satchel closer to her body, as if it would shield from the the other girl, as she watch the other kids leave. Some even gave her a or two of sympathy.

She suddenly felt like clutching her cross necklace for reassurance that she'll live.

Slowly, she made her way over to where the girl was sitting at. "What do you need, Asakura?"

"Kazumi." the writer corrected.

"What do you need, Kazumi?" Setsuna asked again, this time correcting herself.

Kazumi smiled slightly as she slid forward a white envelope. "There are many things in this world that I need. You're one of them, Setsuna. Here's your paycheck."

Setsuna tilted her head to the side, confused. "What do you mean?"

"N- nothing." Kazumi stammered quickly, turning away. "You're the only photographer we have on this crew, that's the only thing that I meant by the comment."

Shrugging, Setsuna took a hold of the envelope. "Thanks for remembering my pay this time."

**/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/` A Little Later**

"The track team should be gone by now." Setsuna muttered to herself, walking towards the gym's locker room.

Slipping into the room quietly, she gave the room a quick look around to make sure it was empty. When she confirmed that fact, she made her way over to the last locker in the farthest corner of the room.

Producing a silver key out of her pocket, she unlocked the padlock as she slipped her satchel onto the floor. Tossing the padlock onto the bench behind her, she opened the locker door.

Inside sat a pair of pure black running shorts, a towel, and her Yunagi.

Carefully, she pulled her sword out of the locker, unsheathing it slowly. Its blade shined and sparkled in the low light of the locker room, making it look even more dangerous than she already knew it was. She marveled at its beauty for a moment longer before sliding it back into its sheath. He father had given this sword to her long ago, making it her most prized possession.

Setting aside the blade, she pulled the gym shorts out of her locker. She pulled her camera strap from over her head and set it in the locker, along with her bag. Snapping the padlock back into its place, she slid her key back into her pants pocket.

She quickly removed her vest before pulling her sweater over head. The photographer had forgotten that she was wearing a hat, until she heard the soft thump of leather hitting the floor. "Oops." She muttered, setting her sweater aside.

Looking down, she spotted her leather paperboy cap on the floor, sitting there innocently.

Gently, she picked it up and brushed a few specks of dirt off of it before setting it on top of her sweater. "Don't go and fall again, okay?" She joked, as if the hat could hear her.

Receiving no answer, of course, she turned her attention back to her task.

Carefully, she unbound her chest, wrapping the bandage around her hand as she did before re-wrapping her chest more comfortably.

Sliding her tennis shoes off, she quickly kicked her jeans off afterwords. Folding up the jeans, she then slipped on the running shorts and her shoes again.

Setting her clothes in one pile on the bench, she slipped a hair-tie out of her running short's pocket. Tying her hair up into a side-ponytail, she then strapped her sword to her back quickly.

Taking a deep breath, she smiled as she made her way towards the room's door. "Time for the best, yet worst part of my day."

_***** All done! XD Okay, so this is Chapter one . . . Don't hate me please. If you don't like it, don't review – please. If you love it, review – please. Well, I hope you all enjoyed. Until next time! *****_

_**~Angel981**_


	2. Chapter 2

Setsuna took a deep breath as she blocked the youthful soldier's blade with her own.

His face broke into something between a sneer and a grin, and she responded by kicking him in the chest, making him stumble backwards. Almost as quickly as he hit the ground, he was up again.

"You just don't know when to quit, do you?" She growled, advancing at him. He laughed, shaking his head, evading her attack with a side-step. "Setsuna, my dear, your thinking about this too much. Don't think, just act. Your sword is you, and you are the sword, love."

_**'The sword is me, and I am the sword.' **_She repeated in her mind. _**'The sword is me, and I am the sword . . . the sword is me, and I am the sword . . .'**_

__Taking another deep breath, she took a step back from him.

He responded with a grin, twirling his sword by the handle of it. "By the way . . ." she trailed off. "Didn't I tell you to stop calling me 'love'?"

With that, she advanced towards him quickly, slashing her sword at his throat.

He deflected her attack easily. "Sorry, love, can't help it. It's just what I do."

Grabbing her wrist with his free hand, He pulled her closer, his eyes shining mischievously. "So, love, how about a kiss?"

Pushing him away, she shook her head. "How about No?"

This time, he advanced towards her, chuckling. She raised her sword to block him, but he was already in front of her, swing his sword downwards.

Damn, he was fast.

His sword was upon her before she had time to raise her own, and . . .

It passed straight through her.

"Damn it!" She cursed lowly. "Your cheated, Nagi! You're not suppose to use Ki! I told you that!"

The ghost grinned, sheathing his sword happily. "All is fair in love and war, love. All is fair."

"Says you." She muttered, sheathing her sword as well.

Nagi grinned, bouncing from one foot to the other. "Great job today, love. You almost killed me – again."

Setsuna frowned. Nagi usually didn't make jokes about his death.

Shrugging Nagi walked away a few steps. "You may want to take a shower – you smell like a dog. Also, Asuna took your dinner by accident. You may may want to get it back."

"How would you know what I smell like?" She criticized. "You're dead. Nonliving. You have no senses, Nagi."

The ghost shrugged. " have my ways, love."

With that, he faded away.

"Thanks." She said, even though he had already faded into nothingness. "I'll keep what you said in mind, Nagi – and I'll kick your ass next time, Nagi!"

**/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/` ← (They look like a scythes!)**

Setsuna combed her fingers through her wet, raven black hair as the water ran over her comfortingly.

"Nothing like a shower in the gym's locker room after a long, two hours of practice." She joked to herself.

Sighing, she shook her head before turning to water off. Joking around didn't make her feel any better.

Taking her towel into hand, she slowly dried off. She had to shake her head a couple times to keep herself awake, for the warmth of the water **and **the training had taken a toll on her energy.

Turning around, she reached a hand out to feel her drying clothes. She frowned, realizing they were still a little damp.

Well, at least they were only damp. She would live.

Silently, she pulled her clothes on, being sure to rebind her chest first.

**/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/` Later On**

Setsuna paused at the entrance of Asuna's dorm.

_**'I bet it's nice to live in the school's dorm home . . .' **_Setsuna thought sadly.

Shaking the thought away, she opened the wooden door quietly before walking into the room.

The carpet silenced her steps, and when she rounded the corner . . .

Her eyes widened in shock and she felt a blush rise to her face rapidly.

Ayaka was straddling Asuna on the bed, pinning the red-head's wrists just above her head. She repeatedly kissed the nape of Asuna's neck gently, as her free hand slowly brought up the other girl's pajama shirt. "Nnn . . . Ayaka . . . we can't . . ." Asuna murmured. "It's . . . it's a school night . . ."

Ayaka didn't respond, but continued her actions.

Clearing her throat, Setsuna shifted uncomfortably. Both Ayaka's and Asuna's head turned in her direction, and an obvious blush covered both of their faces.

Quicker than Setsuna thought was possible, Ayaka was sitting at the end of the bed, Her head turned in the opposite direction – away from Asuna.

"S- Setsuna!" Asuna exclaimed, sitting up. "W- what are you doing here?"

"Well . . ." Setsuna trailed off. "I didn't just walk in on you and your girlfriend about to share a . . . how should I put this . . . _'special hug'_. I came for my lunch."

Asuna's blush darkened, and she laughed nervously. "Uh, yeah . . . I kinda grabbed your sandwich, didn't I? I put it in the fridge . . ."

Waving a hand in Asuna's direction, Setsuna quickly grabbed her sandwich out of the fridge.

Well, what was left of it.

She had saved half of her sandwich for her supper, but now there was only one-fourth of it left.

Just leave it to Asuna to eat someone's lunch.

"Dammit Asuna, really?" She muttered. "That's the last of my food."

Shaking her head, the photographer walked back into the main room. Asuna and Ayaka were still sitting a good five feet away from each other, avoiding both each others' gazes and Setsuna's. Smiling, she did a small bow to them, deciding to tease them a little. "Thanks, now, you can . . . continue with your all your . . . making-out or touching or, well, whatever the hell you two were doing or were about to do. I really don't want to know all of the details."

"W- well I would hope not!" Ayaka snapped, her own blush growing much darker than Asuna's. The blonde's head snapped up, setting her icy blue glare upon Setsuna, making the photographer shiver slightly.

Just leave it to _Ayaka _to stare into someone's soul.

Shaking her head, she turned around quickly. "By the way . . . You owe me a new sandwich, Asuna."

**/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/` Later . . .**

Shivering, Setsuna unconsciously rubbed the lens of her camera with the sleeve of her sweater. **_'God, what I'd give for a coat or something. The temperature really drops at night around here . . . but I need my money for food. I'll live.'_**

****Shaking her head, she concentrated on her surroundings. She would have to be careful, or else. Your everyday gangster, thug, pimp, or whatever the Hell they were roamed here at night.

The street was wet with a recent shower, making the path quite slippery. To add to her troubles, her shoes weren't exactly waterproof.

She would have to set them out to dry, but not outside of her home. People around here tended to steal random shit like that.

Hearing a small scraping sound, Setsuna's hand shot to the hilt of her Yunagi. Freezing, she looked around skeptically. There it was, again – except closer.

Reacting on instinct, she drew the sword in a blink of an eye, turning around and pointing it at her follower's chest. "Cain, I swear, make one more move towards me, and I'll cut your fucking head off. Or worse – you won't be a guy anymore."

A bleach-blonde haired man, about a good foot taller than her, froze at the sight of the Yunagi pointed against his chest. His hazel eyes widened with fright as he tried to speak but said nothing.

Growling, she stated, "Try this again, and you'll find out I'm not joking. I'm not your damn whore, and you're one of the worst thugs I've ever met. Now, get your ass back to wherever you live, and be faithful to something other than trying to violate me."

"I- I . . . Sorry, Setsuna . . . you know me, it's all I've really ever known." He trailed off, taking a step backwards. Giving the sword's blade one last glance, he shot off in the opposite direction.

Again, the worst thug she's ever met. At least, that's what he called himself, anyway.

Sighing, she continued walking. After about half a mile or so, she reached her destination – an old, run-down shack with boarded-up windows and overgrown grass.

Trudging inside tiredly, she muttered, "Fleet, I'm home."

The only response she got was a hiss.

Dumb rat.

Shaking her head, she looked around, quickly locating the cellar door.

It didn't take her long to get downstairs.

When she finally descended all the steps, she took a quick look around. The only things she saw were: a desk, several rolls of used and unused film, a mattress, several candles, two boxes of matches, a chair, and a scrapbook.

Looks like everything is here.

Sighing, Setsuna set her camera on the desk before lighting a candle. "Home sweet home."

**/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/` At School The Next Day . . .**

Turning the aperture ring to exposure symbol of the window, she snapped a photo of the rows of **huge **bookshelves in the library. She didn't know why, she just felt like taking a picture.

"I wonder if Chachamaru's wants to eat lunch together." she mused happily. "She should be done with her shift by now."

Her stomach growled at the thought of food. The shy, green-haired girl was on the library committee. She loved to read and write, and Asuna always teased her about her passions and her timid, silent personality.

Walking up to the information desk, she was surprised not to see Chachamaru, but a girl with shoulder-length, purple hair reading a chapter book quietly. Where was Chachamaru?

"Er . . . excuse me, Miss. Do you know where Chachamaru Karakuri is?" Setsuna asked. The girl squeaked, jumping in her chair. She fumbled to catch the book she was reading, but she failed. Cringing as it smacked onto the floor with a loud 'boom', she peeked over at the photographer and squeaked, "S- sorry . . ."

Setsuna smiled. "No problem – it was my fault. My name's Setsuna, by the way."

"Nodoka." the girl replied softly, blushing slightly. "I'm sorry . . . I get startled really easily."

The photographer shook her head. "Again, my fault. Would you happen to know where Chachamaru is?"

The girl froze, a look of panic flashing through her eyes. "Sh- she's sick . . ."

Setsuna frowned. "Well, give her a call for me, sometime, will you? Tell her I said to get better."

Nodoka nodded, studying the floor. "Yeah, I'll do that."

For a moment, Setsuna thought she saw a look of worry on the girl's face. She shook her head, before realizing Nodoka was smiling shyly at her.

Must have been her imagination.

"Do you need anything else?" Nodoka asked, tilting her head to the side curiously. Her purple eyes had a far away look in them, and Setsuna could tell she was thinking. "Yeah." Setsuna replied, looking behind her. She looked over the rows of bookshelves. "Do you have any books on ghosts?"

**/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/` Ha, Time Skip! ~~~**

Nodoka scanned over the dust-covered books, searching for Setsuna's request. The photographer had only been half-joking, but the girl had insisted.

She guessed even shy people could be pretty stubborn when it came to their passions.

"You know I was only joking, right?" Setsuna whispered, fumbling with her cross necklace unconsciously. Nodoka glanced at her. "You don't have to whisper. It's a pretty big library."

The photographer shrugged. It wasn't her fault – Chachamaru always made sure that Setsuna whispered in the library. She said it was something about bad habits always getting to you.

"Sorry." She replied. "It's a forced habit."

Nodoka blinked, her hand faltering at the bind of a book. "Forced . . . habit . . .? How exactly does that work?"

Shrugging Setsuna replied. "I'm forced to do it, usually, so I do it with and without thinking, in a way."

There it was again – that far away look in her eyes.

"With and without thinking . . ." Nodoka murmured. "Sounds a lot like **her.**"

The photographer blinked. Was Nodoka talking to her . . . or herself . . .? Whoever it was, Setsuna never had a chance to ask.

The girl shook her head, causing her bangs to fall into her face. "Sorry."

Nodoka pushed the hair out of her eyes before smiling apologetically. "Sometimes I get caught up with my own thoughts."

You can say that again.

"So I've noticed." Setsuna muttered, too low for Nodoka to hear. "So . . . have you found the perfect book yet?"

The girl blinked, clearly confused. "What- oh! Ah, no. forgive me, sorry!"

Nodoka quickly bowed in apology before continuing her search. "I tend to forget things when I space out. Please forgive me."

The girl sweat dropped, shaking her head. "I swear, I've been more absent minded than usual today."

The photographer shook her head. "No, it's fine. Chachamaru does the same thing sometimes. Not much, but often enough."

Was it her imagination, or Nodoka's expression just darken?

Walking to the end of the bookcase, Nodoka checked the walkway for people. Setsuna followed, peeking over her shoulder curiously.

No one. What a surprise.

The walkway was lit by a lamp here-or-there, and the aisle across from them was hidden in it's own shadows. Though, Setsuna knew that she and Nodoka would be able to see when they walked down it.

Nodoka walked across, into the walkway, stopping in front of the shadowed aisle. She then glanced over her shoulder to see if Setsuna was following.

The photographer wasn't.

"What exactly are we looking for?" Setsuna asked, watching Nodoka turn around to answer her. "I can help if you tell me the title. I don't mind."

Nodoka shrugged. "Sure. It's called, '_Ghosts, Spirits, and More.' _"

Setsuna blinked. Why wasn't that a surprise, either?

"It should be down one of these aisles. I should know, because I'm the one who put it away. In fact . . . I do believe it's on shelf number –" She stopped in mid-sentence, her violet eyes widening in shock as a pair of arms encircled around her waist – pulling her back a step.

Setsuna blinked, just now noticing a girl, only an inch taller than Nodoka, standing behind the girl – holding her.

Her red-orange hair was tied back, and she wore a pair of circular glasses. Her grip on Nodoka tightened, drawing the girl closer to her seemingly against her will.

Nodoka's face darkened slightly with a blush as she lowered her head, hiding her eyes behind her bangs. She murmured something too low for Setsuna to here, but apparently the other girl heard her just fine. Setsuna was sure by the evil smile.

The girl whispered something back, her smile growing wider. Her hand crept under Nodoka's shirt, drawing up the material slightly as she stroked the librarian's stomach.

Setsuna was pretty sure they'd forgotten she was here by now.

"Ch- Ch- Ch-" Nodoka stammered, never finishing as her blush grew even darker. The girl responded by whispering something else in Nodoka's ear, making the librarian tremor slightly as she shook her head.

An evil look passed through the girls eyes, and she drew her face closer to Nodoka's, causing the librarian's tremor to worsen. The girl then slowly drew her tongue over Nodoka's cheek. "Chisame!" Nodoka half-yelled. "P- please sto-"

"Shh . . ." Chisame shushed, putting a finger up to Nodoka's lips in a 'shushing' motion. She then shot a glance over at Setsuna, who seemed frozen in place. It seemed to say, **'Get the Hell outa' here. Right now.'**

Chisame then withdrew back into the dark aisle, taking a shaking Nodoka with her.

And that's exactly what Setsuna did – take the fuck off.

Why did she always run into these awkward situations with people?

**End~~~ Ne, sorry if I didn't add much detail. Tis' late. Yawn Night!**

**~Angel981**


	3. Chapter 3

Watching the group from only a few feet away, Setsuna gently wiped the lens of her camera. It was a wonder no one had seen her yet – especially Konoka.

Yet, she wasn't surprise Kotaro hadn't seen her, as close as she was.

The team was practicing a new move, and Setsuna could easily tell from just a glance. Kotaro was making sure Konoka stood steadily on his shoulders while also looking up her skirt with an evil grin. Setsuna couldn't help but feel a twinge of either jealousy or protectiveness. Konoka apparently had no idea of the boy's actions, for she steadily continued trying to help another team member up onto her shoulders without saying anything to him.

Raising her camera, Setsuna shouted. "Hey Konoka, say cheese!"

The cheerleader twisted around, surprised, as Setsuna quickly took the picture. Kotaro gave a yelp of surprise, stumbling backwards.

Let's just say . . . this didn't end well, but at the same time it did.

Konoka gave a yell of surprise herself, crashing into Setsuna, and the mascot fell backwards, pulling the third girl crashing down with him.

Setsuna swore her heart literally skipped a beat.

The cheerleader groaned, shifting slightly.. The photographer froze, feeling her face heat up rapidly. "K- K- Konoka . . . Your head's resting on my chest . . ."

A blush flushing over Konoka's face, and she hesitantly pushed herself up a bit. "S -sorry. I guess that's what you get for sneaking up on me, I suppose."

"Well I can't help it." Setsuna smiled. "I was too busy noticing how Kotaro was peeking up your skirt to keep myself from going full-out ninja on you guys."

'_**She's not very heavy . . .' **_Setsuna noted. _**' . . . and just a breath away.'**_

Muttering something that sounded like 'bastard', Konoka shook her head, causing her dark brown hair to brush across Setsuna's. "Sorry."

"Now, unless you're both dead down there, I suggest you get up." Kotaro remarked, crouching next to the two of them. "It's really weird watching you two sitting there."

Pushing herself up into a sitting position, Konoka helped Setsuna sit up as well. Turning her gaze onto Kotaro, she gave a playful pout. "Aww, but why?"

Almost immediately, she wrapped her arms around the photographer's neck, pulling her into a sudden hug. "She's just so comfy to lay on!"

"Oh, really?" Kotaro hummed, grinning. "That's interesting, I didn't know you swung that way, Onee-san. I could have sworn you were as straight as a pole."

"Which pole?" The cheerleader responded merrily, letting go of Setsuna, who nearly choked from a sudden burst of laughter.

_** 'Well, now I know she's into girls.' **_Standing up, Setsuna brushed her jeans off,and she offered a hand to Konoka, who gladly accepted. _**'But . . . why do I care . . . ?' I barely know the girl; I'm not falling for her, am I?'**_

__Suddenly, Konoka gave out a cry of pain, falling forward into Setsuna's arms. Alarmed, Setsuna knelt to the ground as Konoka clutched onto the photographer's shirt for what seemed like dear life.

"Are you okay?" Setsuna asked. "What's wrong?"

"My ankle . . ." Konoka mumbled. "When I tried to stand, it really, really, really hurt."

"Konoka's our lead cheerleader . . ." Some random girl said. "Without her, I'm not sure if we can even practice correctly."

Frowning, Setsuna gently shifted the girl so that she was holding her 'bridal-style'. "I'll take her to the nurse."

She looked up at Kotaro, and he gave her a small nod. "Make sure Onee-san get's there alright – or I will kick you ass, girl or not. I'd come with you, but I've got to take care of this bunch here."

Standing, Setsuna would've bowed, but she thought better of the action. "Of course."

Of course, two or three girls turned away with a nose-bleed.

Taking off running, she made sure to keep her steps light, for she didn't want to hurt Konoka more than she already had. The cheerleader, however, just buried her face in the photographer's shirt, mumbling something that sounded a lot like, "Comfy."

**/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/` Time Skip~~~ **

"You are **not **putting that . . . evil spirited piece of metal inside of me, **ever**." Konoka growled, glaring at the nurse from where she was sitting at.

Talk about scary . . . the girl had a glare worse than Ayaka's! And that was saying something.

"Oh, come on." The nurse grumbled. "It'll numb the pain. And, the needle's not evil. You'll only feel a small pinch!"

Sighing, Setsuna paced in front of the two. "She's telling you the truth; You'll barely feel a thing, Konoka."

"Plus, I have to check if it's broken or not, and I don't want to hurt you more than you already are in the process." the nurse explained, tapping her foot impatiently. "And my answer's still no." The cheerleader replied stiffly, crossing her arms. "Needles have scared me in the past, present, and I'm pretty damn sure they're going to in the future."

"You there," The nurse called, motioning in Setsuna's direction. "Distract her or something. I don't care what you do, as long as it doesn't involve taking off any of your clothing."

"A- and why would I do that?!" Setsuna exclaimed, stopping as a light blush spread over her face. The nurse shrugged, sweeping her hair behind one ear. "Some girls here are like that. I'm not saying I assumed you one to be, but I was just being cautious. Now, can you just . . . distract her somehow?"

"Fine." Setsuna muttered, walking over to Konoka's side. "But, I'm not so sure she's going to like what I'm about to do very much."

"I'm sitting right here, guys." Konoka grumbled, her chocolate brown eyes flickering from the nurse to Setsuna, as if she expected one of the two them to make a threatening move towards her. "Konoka, please forgive me for what I am about to do." Setsuna mumbled. _**'It's the only thing I can think of . . .' **_She added silently.

"I swear, if you help her put that . . . _thing_in me, I –" Konoka cut off, giving a small sound of surprise as Setsuna gently kissed her. Now, the kiss didn't last very long – just a couple of seconds. And, when she broke off the kiss, the cheerleader made a small, involuntary sound of protest.

"W- what was that –" Konoka cut off again, this time with a squeak of pain. "Sorry!" The nurse apologized immediately. "My bad – I stuck the needle in a bit late."

**/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`Time skip again~ So, an hour later.**

"Chachamaru, you're back!" Setsuna laughed, slinging her arm around the green-haired girl's neck. The girl squeaked, automatically elbowing the photographer in the stomach before twisting around and hooking her in the shoulder.

Damn, that actually hurt – considering how small this girl was.

Chachamaru was around maybe Five-foot three, causing her to be shorter than most kids in her grade. Her light green hair extended to her lower back, and the bangs usually stopped just over her cress green eyes. But, today, her hair was styled so it covered one of her eyes completely.

One thing about Chachamaru – she's completely self-conscious. If you touched any 'inappropriate' place on her body – purposely or accident – she would either break down into tears, freeze up, or try to kill you with whatever she has or doesn't have in her hands. Setsuna's seen it happen.

Once, a boy had thought her as 'easy prey' , due to her shyness. But, whatever he had tried to do had **not **gone down well with Chachamaru. So, he ended up with a pencil sticking out of his jugular – you could just barely see the tip of the eraser sticking from the side of his throat.

And there were two things that **never** changed about Chachamaru. She always wore a chain with an iron cross and a silver ring strung on it around her neck. And, she always had a miniature bible somewhere on her. The ring and the bible were her father's, but the cross had belonged to her mother.

Her mother had died a long time ago, but her father had been at war for the past two years. According to Chachamaru, he would be coming home soon.

Of course, she had been saying that for that past nine months, now.

"Romans 6:23, For the wages of sin is death, and the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ, our Lord." Chachamaru murmured, revealing one of her many nervous ticks – again. Whenever she got nervous or worried, Chachamaru restated random bible verses she had memorized – meaning the entire book.

"Calm down, Chachamaru, it's only me . . ." Setsuna groaned, rubbing her aching shoulder. "Jeez, you're pretty strong for the mouse you are, aren't you?"

"S- sorry . . ." She replied quietly, keeping her gaze glued to the carpeted floor of the library. "And, you should be whispering – not shouting your lungs off."

"I'm not shouting." Setsuna state, though she did lower her voice for the girl. "Nodoka told me you were sick – Are you okay?"

"Sick . . .?" A look of confusion settled on her expression, then understanding. "Oh! I had a bit of a . . . head-cold yesterday."

She raised a hand as if to push her hair back behind her ear but hesitantly dropped it back to her side without doing so. Odd.

"So, what's with the new hairstyle?" Setsuna asked. "In all my years, I've never seen you do this to your hair. You finally got a boyfriend for once?"

Chachamaru sweat-dropped, shaking her head. " Now, you of all people should know that's not true . . . I'm not really into guys . . ."

"My bad – girlfriend?" Setsuna corrected as Chachamaru shook her head once more. "No." She replied. "Don't have one. I'm sorry – give me a moment. I'm suppose to be getting a book for Nodoka and Chisame."

"No problem." Setsuna shrugged watching as the girl scanned over the shelves quickly. It was only a matter of seconds before she had found the book she was looking for. It's cover was a deep sapphire color, and Setsuna caught the words – _ A Demonica Novel By Larissa Ione – _on the front of it. She didn't get a glimpse of the title, though.

"Hmm . . ." Chachamaru hummed, frowning as she read over the front and the back of the book. "Chisame . . . what do you need a book like _this _for?"

**/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/` Another Time Skip~ Surprising, right? Well, To Chisame's and Nodoka's room we go!**

Knocking on the door, Chachamaru waited outside the room with Setsuna before hearing a, "Come on in – unless you're Chamo!" from the inside.

Chachamaru laughed, opening the door and walking into the room. "I see you still don't like Chamo. What did the boy do this time – peeking at you while you showered?"

Setsuna followed in as well, stopping beside Chachamaru. "I found him snooping through mine **and **Nodoka's underwear today!" Chisame replied, looking up at Chachamaru. Nodoka only shrugged, a light blush covering over her face.

Nodoka was dressed in light green pajamas, and her hair was pinned back out of her violet eyes. She was sitting between Chisame's legs, her knees drawn up as the other girl brushed her hair with slow, gently strokes. Her gaze remained downward, as if she were trying not to meet any one of the other girls' gazes.

Chisame herself was dressed in a pair of pajama shorts and pale blue shirt that looked as if it'd been washed about five hundred times too many. She wasn't wearing her glasses, but she was easily recognizable without them on.

Taking the book from Chachamaru, Setsuna waved it in the air. "We got your book, um . . ." The photographer looked at the title of the book. ". . . Pleasure Unbound . . .?"

Curious, Setsuna opened it to a random page just to slam it shut after a few seconds. Blushing heavily, she tossed the book at Chisame. "What do you need _that _kind of book for?"

"Well . . ." Chisame hummed, setting the brush aside. "My mother always read these kind of books, but she never let me read them. Now I can, so I will."

"Plus," She purred, hugging Nodoka closer to her. "They do give me some _great _ideas . . . isn't that right, Nodoka?"

Nodoka shivered slightly, blushing even more, and Setsuna could hear Chachamaru muttering John 3:16 quietly.

Glancing over at the shy girl, she noticed how she raised her hand – yet again – to push the hair out of her face, but then she hesitantly dropped it back to her side without doing so. That's the second time that's happened.

"Chachamaru." Setsuna stated, causing the girl to squeak and restate Psalms 23:4. "Why did you style your hair like that today?"

Was it her imagination, or did Chisame just **_glare _**at Chachamaru?

"N- no special reason." she replied quietly, looking away.

She was hiding something – Setsuna was sure.

Frowning, Setsuna reached towards the green-haired girl, who shied away from her touch. "Hey," The Photographer murmured quietly. "Let me see."

"N- No!" Chachamaru exclaimed. Catching a hold of the girl's arm, Setsuna managed to make the other girl stand still. She trembled slightly, threatening to break down into tears at any moment. Other than that, she didn't fight against Setsuna's hold.

Brushing the girl's hair aside, Setsuna couldn't stop herself from gasping. "W- where did you get _**this**_?" Setsuna demanded, just barely brushing her fingers over a bruise located just under Chachamaru's eye. "No one hit you, did they?"

Chachamaru shrank back somewhat, moving her hair back into place. "N- no . . ."

"Well . . . what happened?" The photographer asked worriedly. "What gave you . . . _that?"_

**/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/` Time Skip To Later That Night~ Heh...**

"She won't tell me, though." Setsuna growled, practicing a couple swings with her Yunagi. "She just kind of ran away . . ."

"Well, she has some problems you can't help her with, Love. It's just the way things are." Nagi replied running his fingers through his ghostly-pale, red hair. His light brown eyes held a hint of pain for half a second – but no longer than that. "I should know."

He shook his head, sighing. "But, that's something to **never **be known about me – that part of my long lost life anyway. Now, let's begin sparing, Love, shalt we?"

Standing up, the ghost backed up a few steps. Drawing his blade, he grinned. "Japanese metal – There's nothing like it!"

"You can say that again!" Setsuna responded, circulating her own blade with by its hilt. "But, I was hoping for a different kind of lesson tonight, Sensei."

Confused, Nagi sheathed his sword. "What did you have in mind, Love?"

Sheathing her Yunagi, the photographer smiled. "Ki."

Did Nagi just . . . twitch . . .?

"Ki, Love?" Nagi asked. "It took me forever to master that. I can't even remember my first lesson –not even one of my lessons, in fact."

"Well, you use it all the time." She mused. "Why not teach me from your personal experience?"

Nagi blinked. "Personal experience . . . not bad! But, not tonight, Love. There's some new moves I've been _dying _to kick your ass with."

***** End of This here Chapter! Sorry this one ended about a page early – ran out of ideas. Lol. Night guys! ~Angel981**


	4. Chapter 4

**/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/` So, This is Chapter Four! And, I have a surprise for you all... you're going to be like 'Oh My Gosh!' at around the end! Well, hopefully This is not a chapter written for Setsuna, but to tell the story of some one else. Enjoy~**

**Three Days Later -**

_ A sudden glimpse of bleach blonde hair . . . A flash of infuriated, sapphire blue eyes . . ._

_**Smack!**_

_"You've failed me for the last time. Make the same mistake, and you know the consequence ." anger filled the girl's voice. Holding a hand up to her cheek from the blow, Chachamaru cowered fearfully – she knew the strike would sting even more so later._

"_I- I'm sorry master . . . it won't happen again . . ."_

"_See that it doesn't."_

"Hello – anyone home?" Chachamaru blinked, recoiling as she noticed a hand waving in front of her face.

"Jeez, Asuna." Setsuna grumbled, sounding as if she had no energy at all. "Give the girl a break. You keep doing that to her, she's gonna have a heart-attack – either that, or you'll find a pair of scissors stuck in your throat."

Chachamaru blushed slightly, looking down. "N- no . . . That's not going to happen anytime soon."

"Yeah." Asuna snorted. "As long as you don't have scissors in your hand."

"Or maybe a pencil." Setsuna laughed. "Though . . . that did look like it hurt."

"It's not my fault." She murmured. "My brain's trained to react like I did . . . as serial killer as it may have seemed."

Ignoring her reply, Asuna knocked on Chachamaru's head lightly. "Don't go killing me off too soon, alright? I still gotta marry Ayaka and have whatever children she manages to make me have by –"

"That's enough of that, Asuna!" Setsuna exclaimed, cutting her off as she covered Chachamaru's ears playfully. "Don't ruin her innocence with the science behind you-know-what."

"I wasn't going to go into all the science behind it, but . . ." Asuna grinned evilly. "If you really wanna know . . ."

"Shush!"

"She goes out and buys –"

"Just stop talking!"

"–and when she gets back, we–"

"Shut up, now!"

" –And during the process of all this, she puts–"

"Asuna, shut up now, or I swear, I'll be the one who stabs your damn ass with scissors."

"– and that's how it's done."

"I – I don't think I understood a single word you said . . . besides maybe the last part." Chachamaru sweat dropped, pulling Setsuna's hands from over her ears. "And, I'm pretty sure I don't want to, either."

The red-head shrugged, sitting in one of the classroom's chairs. She propped her feet up on another and smile. "So, I overheard you talking to Setsuna earlier. You're dad's finally coming back, right?"

She nodded, happy to change the subject. "That's right! He'll be here tomorrow – all in one piece. He was on the front-line, so he's very lucky to survive the Hell he was put through. Not many did."

"That's great!" Setsuna patted her shoulder gently. "You're finally getting you're dad back. Do you know what time he's gonna be back?"

"No idea." Chachamaru replied quietly. Smiling, she brushed a lock of green hair out of her face.

"Well, maybe we can come home with you tomorrow." Asuna joked. "I could stand in front of your house with a giant sign that says, 'Welcome Home Mr. Person I've Never Met!'"

"No!" Chachamaru exclaimed. **_'they can't come with me . . . not with __him __there . . . He might get to them too . . .'_**

__Blinking, Asuna shrugged. "Okay – jeez Ms. Spazzy."

"Sorry, I- it's just – just –" Chachamaru cut off, closing her eyes. "Genesis 40:5 And they dreamed a dream both of them, each man his dream in one night, each man according to the interpretations of this dream, the butler and the baker of the king of Egypt, which were bound in the prison."

Giving her a funny look, Setsuna opened her mouth to say something, but the bell decided to ring just then. "Good Morning class!" A cheery voice rang through the classroom as Mrs. Shizuna stepped into it. "Wonderful day to learn about Genetics, yes?"

The teacher smiled joyfully, setting her books down and pushing up her glasses. Her onyx eyes scanned over the entire class, and everyone settled into their seats. "I'm sure you'll love the entire lesson, yes?"

**/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/` Another time skip~**

Murmuring another verse under her breath, Chachamaru halted at the end of her driveway as the sound shattering glass filled the air. A curse followed not long afterwords. **_'Kita's home . . .' _**she thought, slowly starting towards her house. **_'I hope he's not in one of his moods . . . again . . .'_**

****Of course, that was almost always impossible for him.

Walking inside, she shut the door quietly behind her, while setting her bag down against the wall. "John 8:32," She murmured. "The truth will set you free."

She barely had time to finish saying that before her wrist were roughly caught and she was pinned against the closed door. **_'He is.'_**

****"Except in this situation." Kita smiled, his dark-brown hair swaying just over his crimson eyes. **_'They look exactly like a demon's . . .' _**She thought, trembling in fear.**_ ' . . . so starved for amusement and seductive in their own, horrible way_._ I hate them. I hate him.'_**

****Shifting his hold from her wrists to a hand on one shoulder, he leaned closer. "Now, should I make you squirm first or just get it over with? Your choice."

"What does it matter?" She replied softly. "It'll happen, either way."

"True." He mused. "But it makes it so much funner having you choose."

She could feel his hand sliding up her leg and under her skirt. Not that she could stop him. He was only two or three years older than her, but he was strong for his age.

About two months after her dad had left for the war, he had been appointed by their master to watch over her until her father came back. So, after about a week of watching over her, Kita had taking a liking to her. But, when he found out she wasn't interested in him, well . . . he didn't like that, and he decided he was going to get her anyway.

"Go to Hell." She growled. "Like all demons do. It's where you belong."

"Wrong answer." He laugh softly, yanking her towards him.

**/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/` to tomorrow, at the school!**

"I've never seen someone as in love as you two . . ." Chachamaru hummed, watching as Nodoka braided Chisame's silently. "You two are almost always together."

Checking in the another book from the stack, she added a bit more detail to the fox she was drawing. "Well," Chisame mused. "I guess it's because we've known each other for forever. So, we had to fall in love sooner or later, right?"

"M'hm." Nodoka hummed, giving the girl a quick kiss on the nose. "Love you too."

"Really?" Chisame looked up at her girlfriend innocently. "Doesn't seem like it. Maybe I need another kiss to make sure."

Rolling her eyes, Chachamaru focused on her stack of books. "Just remember this – I'm standing right here."

"Like we'd forget." Chisame laughed. Sighing, she shook her head. **_'She's got to be joking.'_**

****"Okay, okay . . ." Chachamaru mumbled. "Just don't go breaking the couch in, alright? You're not the only one who works here."

"Don't worry." Chisame replied. "Already done."

"Then remind me not to sit on it – ever." she responded. Checking in the rest of the books, Chachamaru continued with drawing her fox. It was turning out pretty good and bad at the exact same time. Like, the ears were too big, but the face looked really detailed. Things like that.

"Nodoka, Can you get me a soda from the study hall?" Chisame asked. There was the rustling of fabric, and Nodoka replied, "Sure – I'll be back in five minutes, Chiu-chiu."

"Now, you know I hate that nickname." Chisame grumbled, and Chachamaru looked back at the two. Nodoka shot her girlfriend a glare, and stated, "That's not what you told **her**."

With that, she stalked off. "Well someone's bi-polar all of the sudden." Chachamaru blinked. Chisame sighed, shaking her head. "She's been like that since yesterday. One moment she loves me – the next she's trying to stab my guts out with a butter knife! Well, metaphorically."

"Well, who did she mean by 'her'?" She asked, sitting in front of the girl. Pushing her glasses up, she sighed. "My half-sister, Chizuru, came by yesterday to see me after so many months, years, whatever. Well, you know how Nodoka called me Chiu-chiu?"

Chachamaru nodded. "Well," Chisame continued. "My half-sister gave me that name when I was four, and it's stuck around. Nodoka's known about that nickname since I first met her. Almost everyone called me by that name. So, naturally, I got used to it and introduced myself to people as that. But, as the years went by, I stopped using it. But, back to my sister, anyway. In my family tradition every family member in the household has to kiss the other members whenever they see them. Well, excluding grandparents – you would hug them."

"Makes a little sense." Chachamaru stated. Chisame nodded. "Yeah, not one of the best traditions, but it kept everyone from fighting, at least. Arguing . . . not so much. Well, Chizuru dropped by, and Nodoka let her in. She rushed up and hugged me, called me Chiu-chiu, and gave me a kiss right in front of Nodoka. And my girl hasn't let me explain since then what happened."

"Jeez, that's harsh." Chachamaru responded. "You should still try and explain to her, though."

"What's the use?" Chisame sighed, running her fingers through her hair. "But, enough about me. Word been passed through the gang. Sadly, I was the last to hear it – again."

" . . . What did you hear?" Chachamaru asked quietly. "Well," Chisame replied. "I heard that she hit you again. What happen this time – did you fail another job?"

_**'You have no idea . . .' **_Chachamaru thought silently, shaking her head 'yes'.

"I thought so . . ." Chisame sighed. "That's the fifth time this month. Fail her again, and you could get seriously hurt. Master must really like you – usually members end up dead if they fail her this many times in such a short period. Try not to push your luck, okay? You're lucky she only slapped you."

"I know . . ." She mumbled. "I think it's because she knows how much I like her. Plus, master practically raised me since my father had left. She literally put a knife in my hand and taught me how to take care of myself. Now, I react with and without thinking. For example, I can kill someone in about fifty different ways with anything sharp, but I always stop myself before I can do any real harm . . . well, almost always."

"Try never." Chisame rolled her eyes. "Remember that one time you stabbed a pencil through that one boy's throat? Haven't seen him since . . . I don't think so, anyway. I believe his name was Albert."

The ringing of a bell interrupted their conversation. "Well . . . clubs are over." Chisame observed. "Finally."

Standing up, Chachamaru brushed herself off. "By the way, tell Nodoka I said thanks for covering for me when I was out. I'm guessing she knows?"

Chisame nodded. "Yeah. And, I will. Take care of yourself, okay? Wouldn't want someone else to get to your heart. Not when you like Master so much."

"Shut up." She muttered, picking up her satchel. "and, I will."

**/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/`/` Another Time skip!**

"Jeez, I'm starving." Chachamaru muttered, pulling an MRE out of the pantry. '**_It's a good thing Kita's not here . . . well, I hope that he isn't.'_**

****Looking around, Chachamaru frowned. Where were the scissors?

Shrugging, she pulled a pocket knife out of one of the drawers. Flipping it open, she smiled to see the lethal blade open once more. "It's been forever since I opened you . . . you were the first knife master gave me, weren't you?"

Admiring the way the five inch, black steel shimmered in the dim light, her smile widened. The jagged ridges along the knife were sharp enough to tear through even bone in less than a second – with the right strength. Just imagine what it could do to flesh.

The idea made Chachamaru laugh. The thought of this very knife – the **feeling **of it tearing through flesh and blood made her heart rate speed up. It was meant to kill . . . and she was meant to wield it.

**_'Wait . . . what?' _**Chachamaru blinked, catching herself. **_'Crap, I almost lost myself . . .'_**

****she shook her head. God help her now, she did not need to turn back into her darker self. "I guess that's another thing I can thank Evangeline for." She murmured. "I actually found a darker side of me."

Sighing, she cut open the MRE quickly. "So much for sanity. Looks like I'm insane."

Suddenly, a pair of arms wrapped around her, as someone hugged her from behind.

She hadn't meant to react as she did . . . but it was as if on instinct. As if it was her nature.

Whipping around, she instantly thrust the knife into the person's diaphragm. That's pretty much when she lost it.

**_'It's him . . . I just know it's him!' _**She thought, growling as a sharp intake of breath was heard. **_'And he's going to pay for what all he's done . . .'_**

****Bringing the knife down slowly, she bit back a laugh. It was just how she had imagined! Only better.

The feeling of the knife tearing through his flesh was glorious. The gushing of his blood, hot and slippery, did not faze her grip, but it reinforced it. Dragging the knife to his lower part of his stomach, she felt a small snippet of joy. That is, until she looked up.

Instead of red eyes . . . she saw green.

"_So, I overheard you talking to Setsuna earlier. You're dad's finally coming back, right?"_

"_That's right! He'll be here tomorrow – all in one piece. He was on the front-line, so he's very lucky to survive the Hell he was put through. Not many did."_

"_That's great! You're finally getting you're dad back. Do you know what time he's gonna be back?"_

"_No idea."_

It all hit her. This wasn't Kita . . . it was her dad. His eyes were open wide in fear as he uttered one word before slumping to the floor. "Chachamaru . . .?"

Her hand flew over her mouth, covering her face with sticky, crimson blood, but she could of cared less. The knife hung limp in her grip. There were no words she could say to make it better. There was nothing she could do to take back what she had just done.

He wasn't dead . . . yet . . . but, she still couldn't take the fact she had put a gigantic hole in her father . . . and _**enjoyed **_it. God, what has she become?

She was so wrapped up in her own thoughts, that she didn't notice him until it was too late.

Suddenly, someone grabbed her from behind, bringing her closer to them. And she knew exactly who it was. "Thank you, Mr. Karakuri, for allowing me to take care of your daughter." Kita snickered. "It's been a real . . . _**pleasure.**_"

Chachamaru couldn't tell if the pain in her father's eyes were from his wound . . . or watching his daughter about to get dragged off and raped.

Whatever is was, it didn't matter . . . not anymore . . . She would always remember what happened on this day . . . his pain . . . her pain . . . the memories would drive her into madness . . .

Unless she allowed herself to drift into insanity now. Maybe then she wouldn't feel the pain.

Tightening her grip on the knife handle, she growled. "You forgot one thing, you bastard."

"And what would that be?" He hummed, his crimson eyes flashing to her. God, they looked so much like a demon's.

He was the reason. The reason for everything.

Why she was so nervous . . .

Why she lost her interest in boys . . .

Why she had lost so much . . .

"When it comes to knives, I'm practically insane."

His eyes flashed with a sudden fear as he opened his mouth to reply, but never finished. He never got the chance to.

Tearing away from his grip, Chachamaru struck his jugular with her blade, ripping it across his throat. It sliced open as easily as if she were cutting a cake in half.

And the blood – oh the blood! It was like a river of crimson jewels pouring down. The same color as his eyes.

He coughed, causing some of his blood to splash onto her cheek, but she didn't care. She only felt joy – joy of the greatest kind. He fell to his knees and onto the floor, making a sound as if he were choking – No, drowning. He was drowning in his own blood.

She didn't know how long she stood there, just watching him die until his heartbeat ceased. But she did know she stood there after he had died . . . replaying the scene in her head over and over.

She felt that she should be sad . . . but she wasn't. She felt . . . strangely at peace.

But, when a hand landed softly on her shoulder, she dropped the knife and slumped against the figure. She knew exactly who this was as well.

"Well, this is a shock." Evangeline murmured in her ear. "You're all bloody . . ."

Despite what she said, her master wrapped her arms around Chachamaru in a hug and combed her fingers through her green hair comfortably. Hugging her back, Chachamaru closed her eyes. "I'm so sorry master . . ."

"Oh, don't worry." Evangeline hushed. "I only came to dismiss Kita, for I heard you father was coming back today."

She was sure her master glanced at the scene before them. "But I can see that's no longer necessary."

Chachamaru felt the tickle of Evangeline's breath as her master leaned closer. "But You can't imagine how proud I am of you. You would make a good serial killer, my darling."

Chachamaru slowly looked up at Evangeline slowly and smiled for the first time in a long time out of pure joy.

_*** Past_

_ She hid her face in her mittens, squeaking as one of the men pushed her down. "Scrawny one, ain't she?" He asked, looking at the other man._

_ "Hush up – her dad's gone, so she's easy picken'." The other growled. "So, don't complain, Ethan."_

_ "I'll complain it I want to . . ." Ethan grumbled. The other man didn't reply. "Well, she's mine first." Ethan grinned, reaching towards her. But, he stopped as a voice sounded. "Touch a hair on her head, and you'll find not only your hand gone – but your life."_

_ It sounded a lot like a girl's . . ._

_ She covered her eyes, trembling at the thought of another person coming to get here. "Daddy . . ."_

_ "Yeah right." Ethan snorted. "You and what –"_

_ He cut off with a sharp intake of breath. Mother of . . . G- God . . ."_

_**Thud**_

_ There was a loud yell . . . and another thud. She then dared to peek from behind her mittens. She instantly regretted it._

_ Blood gushed over the snow, staining a bright, ruby red before melting it. "Are you okay?" someone asked, drawing her attention._

_ It was a girl with bleach blonde hair and sapphire blue eyes. Her mouth twitched upward slightly, and she offered her a hand. "My name Evangeline, and I run these streets . . . in a way."_

_ Taking her hand, she was pulled up by surprising strength. "My name's Chachamaru." She murmured. "I'm sorry for the trouble, Evangeline."_

_ "Not at all." The girl shook her head. "But, if you want to stay safe in these parts . . . you're going to need something to keep you safe."_

_ Evangeline put a knife in Chachamaru's hand, closing her fingers around it. "I'll offer you some training as well." She grinned. "Care to join my gang?"_

_******* End**_

Blood is spilled –

Blood that is not mine.

Though, it is mine – in a way.

I hadn't meant to spill his blood!

I hadn't meant to kill the one person I loved!

I hadn't wanted to . . .

Though, I know it's all a lie.

But I hadn't know it to be him!

But I had had known him to be there, at home.

I suppose I shouldn't have assumed.

I suppose I should have looked.

Even though I know it wasn't my fault . . .

Even though it was.

Because of me, my father has died.

Because of me, he suffered to his last breathe . . .

Because of my stupidity –

. . . No.

It isn't my fault.

It's _his_.

The one who drove me to this . . . _insanity _. . .

The one who drove me . . . trained me to react this way.

To every touch.

To every word.

To every thought.

He left invisible scars upon me – mentally and physically.

He had no idea of the costs for me and for himself.

It's because of him.

Everything's because of him.

It's all his fault!

Everything's his fault!

EVERYTHING!

So I took his life as well.

******* How'd you like it? A bit longer than the other chapters, yes. Please Read and review! Yours Truly, **

**~Angel981 *******


End file.
